Farm-gate.



H. H. DEUTSGHEIR.

FARM GATE.

APPLICATION FILED IEILB, 1911.

INVENTOR. WcZm/ fi ATTORNEY.

. 8. WNUTI1||1|||||I QJTI I I U l I4 l l l T V/TNESSL'S:

H. H. DEUI'SGHER.

FARM GATE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. e, 1911.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 I hf 4/ INVENTOR.

ffd A TTORNEV.

coLUMBlA PLANDURAPH COWWASHINOTON, n. c,

HERMAN H. DEUTSCHEBI, OF CABBOLLTON, MISSOURI.

FARM-GATE.

Application filed February 6, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN H. DEUTSOHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Garrollton, in the county of Carroll and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Farm- Gates, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in farm gates.

The object of my invention is to provlde a simple, efficient and durablefarm gate, which may be automatically opened and closed by a wagon,sled, or other vehicle moving past the gate in either direction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a gate with mechanism forlooking it in the closed position and with means by which a vehiclemoving past the gate will first operate the locking mechanism to releasethe gate and then move the gate to the open position.

My invention provides further, novel means for raising a swinging gateto prevent its sagging.

Other novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred form of myinvention-Figure 1 is an elevation view showing the gate in the openposition, the post with which the gate latch lockingly engages beingbroken away. In this view the right hand crank shaft is represented indotted lines in the position to which it is depressed by a wagon wheel.Fig. 2 is a plan view of what is shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anelevation, showing the gate closed. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentaryelevation of a portion of the gate shown in the closed position. Fig. 5is an enlarged detail view, partly in plan and partly in horizontalsection, the section being taken on the dotted line a-Z of Fig. 3. Fig.6 is an enlarged, detail view, partly in plan and partly in horizontalsection, the section being taken on the dotted line 0(l of Fig. 3. Fig.7 is a cross section taken on the dotted line e-f of Fig.6.

Similar characters of reference denote similar parts. 1

1 denotes a gate of any suitable construction, which is pivoted on avertical axis to a vertical fence post 2, by means of hinged members 3,which are secured to the gate 1 and are pivoted on the vertical arms re-Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

Serial No. 606,788.

spectively of two right angled pivot pins 4, the horizontal arms ofwhich are secured in the post 2.

5 denotes a vertical post, having secured to it a catch 6 which isadapted to be auto matically engaged by a self closing latch 7 which ispivoted by a horizontal bolt 8 to the gate 1.

For swinging the latch 7 to release it from the catch 6, which is shownin Fig. 3, and also in Fig. 2, and to automatically swing the gate toand from the closed position, the following described mechanism isprovided :Pivotally mounted respectively in two vertical posts 9 and 10,which are disposed to the right and left of the gate 1, as shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3, are two crank shafts 11 and 12, which are respectivelyprovided with crank arms 13 and 14. The crank arms 13 and 14 aredisposed adjacent to the road, denoted by 15, and are adapted to beconsecutively engaged and swung by a vehicle wheel or runner, not shown,which is traveling in either direction along the road past the gate 1.Secured one above the other on the gate 1 are two plates 16 and 17between which is mounted a horizontal lever 18 pivoted by a verticalbolt 19 to said plates. A cord 20 is secured at its lower end to lever18 and passes between the plate 16 and the gate 1, thence upwardly tothe latch 7 to which it is secured to the right of the bolt 8, as viewedin Fig. 4. The lever 18 extends from the gate 1 past the post 2, and haspivoted to it one end of a substantially horizontal rad 21 the other endof which is screw threaded and has mounted on it two nuts 22 and 22.Encircling the rod 21 between the nuts. 22 and 22 and having one set ofends bearing respectively against said nuts are two coil springs 23 and24 the other set of ends of which bear against the vertical arm of aright angled crank pin 25, the horizontal arm of which is pivoted in acrank arm 27 on the rock shaft 11 and parallel with the crank arm 13.The vertical arm of the crank pin 25 is provided, as shown in Fig. 7with a horizontal hole 25 in which is loosely and slidably mounted therod 21. Pivoted at one end to the lever 18, and extending from the leverin a direction opposite to the rod 21, is a substantially horizontal rod28, the other end of which is screw threaded and has mounted on it twonuts 29 and 29. Encircling the rod 28 between the nuts 29 and 29 are twocoil springs 30 and 31 having one set of ends bearing respectivelyagainst the nuts 29 and 29, and having their other ends bearing againstthe vertical arm of a right angled. crank pin 26 slidably mounted. onthe rod 28 and corresponding in construction to the crank pin 25 alreadydescribed and illus trated in Fig. 7 The horizontal arm of the crank pin26 is pivoted to the crank arm 32 of a rock shaft 33 horizontallypivotally mounted in a block 34 secured to the post 10. Two spur gearwheels 35 and 36 which mesh with each other are respectively secured tothe rock shafts 12 and 33.

For bracing the gate 1, I provide the construction best shown in Figs.1, 2 and 4. Two parallel boards 37 are secured to opposite sides of thegate 1, and extend upwardly from the lower free end of the gate past andover the post 2. An upwardly and downwardly extending rod 38 is disposedbetween the boards 37 and has mounted on its screw threaded upper end anut 39, which bears upon the upper side of a plate 40 secured to andmounted upon the upper ends of the boards 37. The lower end of the rod38 is provided with an eye 41 in which is secured the upper end of aflexible device, such as a rope 42, which is secured at its lower end tothe post 2. The boards 37 serve as a brace, and the rod 38 and rope 42as a flexible stay, which bears downward on the brace for preventing thefree end of the gate 1 from sagging. I By tying the rope 42 around thepost 2, below the pivot pin 4, as shown, the stay may becircumferentially adjusted around the post to the proper position. Byusing a flexible device, such as a rope, the stay may be readilyattached to the post without the employment of a separate securingdevice. When the gate is swung from the closed to the open position, theoffset relation of the stay brace 38 to the gate pivots 4 will tend totip upwardly the free end of the gate. This tendency will be slight andwill be partly nullified by the stretching of the flexible member 42,and spring of the brace 37 The customary looseness of fit at the pivots4 will permit of such tilting of the gate as is not nullified by theyielding of the stay 42 and brace 37.

In operating the invention, theparts being as shown in Fig. 3, a wagonwheel or vehicle runner moving toward the gate 1 from the right, willstrike the crank arm 13, thereby swinging the rock shaft 11 and with itthe crank arm 27, which will force the crank pin 25 against the spring24, which, by bearing against the nut 22, will, through the intermediacyof the rod 21, first swing the lever 18 so as to draw the cord 20 so asto release the latch 7 from the catch 6. Continued swinging of the lever18 will swing the gate 1 to the open position, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Avertical post 37' may be employed to limit the opening movement of thegate. The parts will now be in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2.Continued forward movement ofthe vehicle wheel or runner will depressthe crank arm 13 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, inwhich position the wheel or runner will pass of the crank arm. l/Vhenthe crank arm 13 is depressed to the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 1, the coil spring 24 will be compressed by means of the crank arm27 and the crank pin 25. After the runner or wheel has passed over thecrank arm 13, the spring 24 will force the crank pin 25 toward the nut22, thus again swinging the crank arm 13 to the position shown in solidlines in Fig. 1. At this time the crank arm 14 will be in the positionshown in Fig. 1. After the vehicle wheel or runner has passed throughthe gateway it will strike the crank arm 14 and will swing it to theposition shown in Fig. 3, thereby swinging the crank arm 32 to theposition shown in Fig. 3 through the intermediacy of the rock shaft 12,gear wheels 35 and 36 and rock shaft 33. This movement of the crank arm32 will cause the crank pin 26 to move the rod 28, through theintermediacy of the spring 31, and nut 29, thereby swinging the gate 1to the closed position by means of the lever 18. The continued forwardmovement of the vehicle wheel or runner will further depress the crankarm 14, thereby compressing the spring 31, until the wheel or runner haspassed or run over the crank arm 14. At this time the spring 31 willcause the crank arm 14 to be again swung to the position shown in Fig.3. The parts will now all be in the initial position shown in Fig. 1.

If a vehicle wheel or runner is traveling to the right, as viewed inFig. 3, it will first strike the crank arm 14, and will swing it to theposition shown in Fig. 1, thereby, through the intermediacy of the rockshaft 12, gear wheels 35 and 36, crank arm 32, crank pin 26, spring 30,nut 29, and rod 28, swinging the lever 18 so as to release the latch 7from the catch 6 by means of the cord 20. After the latch is released,the continued movement of the lever 18 will force the gate to the openposition, shown in Fig. 1. At this time the crank arm 14 will bedepressed to the ground and the vehicle wheel or runner will run overit. The spring 30, which has been compressed when the crank arm 14 wasdepressed to the ground, will now, through the crank arm 32, crank pin26, rock shaft 32, gear wheels 35 and 36 and rock shaft 12, swing thecrank arm 14 to the position shown in Fig. 1. The crank arm 13 will alsobe in the position shown in Fig. 1, so that continued forward movementof the vehicle runner or wheel will bring it against the crank arm 13,thereby swinging the said crank arm to the position shown in Fig.3. Thismovement of the crank arm 13 willcause the gate to be swung to theclosed position, shown in Fig. 3, through the intermediacy of the rockshaft 11, crank arm 27, crank pin 25, spring 23, nut 22, rod 21, andlever 18. Continued movement of the vehicle wheel or runner in the samedirection will depress the crank arm 13 to the ground, therebycompressing the spring 23 until the wheel or runner has run over thecrank arm 18, at which time the spring 23 will, by the means alreadydescribed, swing the crank arm back to the position shown in Fig. 8.

From the above description it will be seen that a vehicle moving ineither direction will automatically open and close the gate 1.

I do not limit my invention to the structure shown and described as manymodifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The combination with a gate post, of a gate hinged to the post, adiagonal brace extending from the lower part of the free end of the gateto the upper part of the hinged end of the gate and having its upper endextending across the axis of the gate, and a stay secured to the postand to the upper end of the brace.

2. The combination with a gate post, of a gate hinged thereto, adiagonal brace extending from the lower part of the free end of the gateto the upper part of the hinged end of the gate and having its upper endextending across the axis of the gate, and a stay secured to said upperend of the brace and circumferentially adjustably secured to the post.

3. The combination with a gate post, of a gate hinged thereto, adiagonal brace extending from the lower part of the free end to theupper part of the hinged end of the gate and having its upper endextending across the axis of the gate, and a stay secured at its upperend to the upper end of the brace and having a flexible lower endsecured to the gate post.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMAN I-I. DEUTSCI-IER.

Witnesses:

SAM WITHERS, KATHERINE G. PFIs'rER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

